


Like a Main Character in a YA Novel (Who Needs to get their Shit Together)

by Thistley



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Culinary Science Student Mingyu, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, I aspire to be him, Illnesses, Inspired by real events (my folder also exploded), Like really organised, M/M, Minghao is cute and leaves Mingyu messages on post it notes, Organised Minghao, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Sleep Deprivation, Stage Design Student Minghao, Strangers to Lovers, They also both do engineering, They go on a date and neither know it is a date, Work In Progress, tags to be added as work progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thistley/pseuds/Thistley
Summary: Mingyu and Minghao meet by chance in the library after Mingyu's folder explodes. Romance ensues, because of course it does (and also because they are both hopeless romantics).~~~"Fitting an entire semester’s worth of notes into one flimsy binder was not something that Mingyu had planned to do at the beginning of the year because even he knew that it was a stupid fucking idea. Never in the history of ever has cramming too much stuff into a too small space ever worked out successfully for anyone.Spilling the contents of said folder all over the library floor at 3am two weeks before a review was something that he knew might happen when he went ahead and made bad decisions anyway, but hadn’t expected to really happen and play out like he was the tragic main character in a YA novel who needed to get their shit together before the main plot kicked in. Well, the main plot had kicked Mingyu hard, in the face, with steel-toed boots on."
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is, unfortunately, inspired by real events. My folder exploded. Unlike Mingyu, I did not have someone to fix it for me. Very sad, I know.
> 
> I aim to complete this soon I swear I won't abandon it. Let me know what you think! If you have anything you wanna see in future chapters just drop a comment.

Fitting an entire semester’s worth of notes into one flimsy binder was not something that Mingyu had planned to do at the beginning of the year because even he knew that it was a stupid fucking idea. Never in the history of ever has cramming too much stuff into a too small space ever worked out successfully for anyone.

Spilling the contents of said folder all over the library floor at 3am two weeks before a review was something that he knew _might_ happen when he went ahead and made bad decisions anyway, but hadn’t expected to really happen and play out like he was the tragic main character in a YA novel who needed to get their shit together before the main plot kicked in. Well, the main plot had kicked Mingyu hard, in the face, with steel-toed boots on.

It happened so fast that Mingyu didn’t even know what happened until he was on his knees on the rough library carpet, sheets of paper all around him and the metal loops of the binder undone from where he’d been adding a page and had forgotten to close it again in his 3-energy-drink stupor. Not the sexiest reason to be on his knees, and yet there he was.

“No…” he whispered towards the floor. “Fuck!” He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes to try and quell the tears forming. “Fuck!” he said again, voice cracking. Sniffling, he pawed at the sheets in the vain hope they were still in some semblance of order only to stop short, deflating when he found unit 3 and unit 7 pages sitting innocuously side-by-side. He let his hands rest on the scratchy carpet and thought about how the student guild should really replace the flooring and also about how he wanted to die on the spot.

“Excuse me?” a voice said from in front of him.

Mingyu snapped his head up to see someone standing in front of him looking a little bewildered. Which was a reasonable reaction, he supposed. Sort of like the time he came home and saw Seokmin lying face-first on the carpet with Vernon painting something on his back with brightly coloured acrylic paints.

“Are you alright?” the stranger asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mingyu looked at the mess, to the stranger, and back down to the mess before sighing audibly. “My folder exploded and now everything is out of order.” He gestured to the floor and the open binder sitting at the stranger’s feet. He hoped he wouldn’t step on it.

Said stranger, without stepping on the folder, crouched down to be on Mingyu’s level, adjusted his glasses and picked it up. He offered a small smile. “Well, it’s 3am right now and if you take Mechanical Engineering, you have a class at 9. You shouldn’t sort it this late.” He offered a hand.

Mingyu looked at it appraisingly. “How do you know I have a class at 9?”

“We take the same class.” The stranger, seemingly realising Mingyu wasn’t going to take his hand, grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him up anyway.

Mingyu stumbled a little, just stopping himself from falling into the stranger. “Then you know the review is in two weeks and I really need to get this in order. This is a whole semester of work!”

The stranger looked at him in sympathy and then glanced over at his table where 3 empty energy drink cans sat. “When did you last sleep?”

Mingyu racked his brain. “Uh...maybe, like, 48 hours ago? I don’t know. I had a project due at midnight tonight and some motherfucker stole my USB so I had to start again, and then I got caught in the rain and my planning sheets got ruined and…” Humiliatingly, tears began to fall down his cheeks. He corrected his mental self-pity from ‘main character’ to ‘pathetic second lead’.

“Okay,” the stranger interrupted before Mingyu could work himself up too much. “Let's get you home. You put away everything on the table, I’ll deal with this. Go home and sleep.” He laid a gentle hand on his arm and offered a small, comforting smile. “It’ll be okay, I promise. Go.” He shooed him away like a cat.

Mingyu wiped his eyes and slammed his laptop shut, stuffing it and some loose notebooks into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder, sliding his phone into his pocket and gathering up the energy drinks cans because his mother raised him not to litter and also the librarians scared him a little (including library assistant Jihoon who looked 12 but could glare so hard Mingyu was scared he’d set something on fire).

“You don’t have a jacket?”

Mingyu turned around, startled. The stranger had Mingyu’s work in a neat pile under his arm and was looking at him in concern.

“No, I forgot,” Mingyu said. “...I think. I don’t remember.”

The stranger tutted and shrugged off his own long, wine red coat and draped it over Mingyu’s shoulders. “You’ll be cold. I’m wearing more layers than you.”

Mingyu clutched the fabric. “Thank you.” He smiled. “Um...what’s your name?” he added a little embarrassingly.

The stranger quirked his lips and began to walk out of the library, Mingyu in tow behind him. “Xu Minghao.”

“Nice to meet you, Minghao. I’m Mingyu.”

Minghao held the door for him. “I know. I saw your folder.”

_Oh, right._ Mingyu nodded. “Yeah, right. Uh, left here.”

They walked in silence down the dim street, their way lit up by a few pathetic streetlamps. Mingyu clutched the coat tighter as a particularly strong gust of wind blew past and inadvertently got a whiff of Minghao’s perfume residue.

“Your perfume smells nice,” Mingyu’s sleep-deprived brain blurted before he could reason that it might be a little creepy to say.

Minghao’s lips parted a little in surprise.

“On your coat, I mean. I can smell it...on your coat…” Mingyu coughed awkwardly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Minghao said easily. He glanced at Mingyu. “It's mandarin orange, vanilla, and jasmine. I made it myself,” he said, as if making your own perfume was something perfectly regular and not something reserved for cool anime characters.

Mingyu felt his eyebrows raise. “Really? Wow.”

Minghao ducked his head shyly. “This your building?”

Mingyu hummed a yes and let himself in, Minghao following behind as they made their way to the flat he shared. They stumbled inside semi-quietly, Mingyu kicking off his shoes with no care and Minghao placing his together neatly. 

Mingyu waved at Soonyoung who was sitting at the dining table eating a bowl of cereal and led Minghao to his room. 

“It’s a mess,” he prefaced before swinging the door open. He dumped his bag and collapsed on his bed. He felt a fleeting touch of fingers on his shoulder that was gone as soon as he recognised it. 

“Sleep well,” Minghao said. “Don’t stress.”

Mingyu fell asleep instantly, like the bad host he is.


	2. Chapter 2

When Mingyu awoke, it was way too bright to be 8am and he checked his phone in a panic to see the bold numbers ‘14:13’ staring back at him, mocking.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, falling backwards. He’d missed his class and then some. Laying aimlessly, Mingyu recalled the events of the night before and felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment at his behaviour in front of his cute classmate who he didn’t even know was a classmate. How had he even missed him? Slightly disgruntled from the memory he swung his legs over the bed and made to leave the room, stopping when he eyed his desk. Something was different.

It was tidy, for a start, and Mingyu specifically remembered emptying the contents of his stationary box onto that very desk two days prior in search of an elusive highlighter. Slung over the back of his chair was a long, wine red coat, and in the centre of his desk was...his folder?

Mingyu’s engineering folder was sitting on the centre of his desk, very much full of notes the way it _very much wasn’t_ last time he saw it. A little frog-shaped sticky note was on top and Mingyu leaned forward to read it.

‘Mingyu,  
I had your flatmate turn off your alarm. I record all lectures so I’ll just send you the file so you can sleep. I hope you like pastries.  
PS. You should sort each unit into a different file. It reduces weight and pressure while also making organisation easier .  
Minghao 07xxxxxxxxx :)’

Right beside the folder was a small croissant that Mingyu recognised was probably from the local campus bakery. He picked it up softly before taking a bite and meandering into the main living area, too bewildered to consider texting Minghao yet.

Soonyoung was still there, sitting at the dining table as if he’d never left. “Hello, Mingyu,” he greeted.

Mingyu threw himself beside him, still chewing. 

“Who was that guy, then?” Soonyoung asked, giving up all pretence of focusing on his bowl of ramen and not being a nosy little shit. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Mingyu flushed, even though absolutely nothing had happened between him and Minghao. “He met me in the library. My folder exploded and I was really stressed so he brought me back and made me go to sleep.”

“I know there’s more. Spill.”

Mingyu sighed dramatically. “He organised my folder for me and left a frog-shaped sticky note with his phone number, a croissant and an offer to send me the recording of the lecture I missed this morning.”

“Oh yeah, that’s what I wanted to hear!” Soonyoung nodded. “He asked me to turn your alarm off, hope you don’t mind.” He took a huge bite of ramen and started speaking again at the same time.

“Ew,” Mingyu said, grimacing. “Don’t spit the juice all over me.”

Soonyoung rolled his eyes but obediently swallowed. “Are you gonna text him, then?”

“Yeah,” Mingyu said. “What do I say, though?”

“Thanks for everything, let me take you on a date and maybe suck your dick as thanks,” Soonyoung said without missing a beat, sending Mingyu into a coughing fit.

“That’s a little strong, don’t you think?”

Soonyoung leaned back in his chair and grinned mischievously. “So you _do_ want to take him on a date and suck his dick.”

Mingyu floundered for words for a few moments before giving up and retreating to his room, Soonyoung’s annoying laughter following him the whole way. He flopped back on his bed with the sticky note in hand, an unconscious smile pulling at his lips as he slowly copied the digits into his phone.

To: Minghao  
Hi Minghao, it’s Mingyu

To: Minghao  
Thank you so much for my folder and the pastry and just generally last night haha

To: Minghao  
Let me take you for dinner as a thank you. Plus, I still have your coat

To: Minghao  
Just let me know when and where :)

He locked his phone and threw it to the foot of his bed in a fit of jittery nerves, instead going to brush his teeth and wash his face since he’d skipped his entire night routine.

When he got back he nearly dropped his phone as it vibrated in his hand with a new message.

From: Minghao  
No worries. If you’re sure, how about the campus restaurant at 6? Do you like Chinese food?

Mingyu smiled to himself, running a hand through his damp hair.

To: Minghao  
Campus restaurant at 6 sounds good :)

He placed his phone down gently, bouncing on the balls of his feet and opening his door a little.

“Soonyoung!” he yelled.

“Yeah?” Soonyoung yelled back from somewhere inside the flat.

“I have dinner with Minghao tonight and you need to help me look fashionable so I don’t embarrass myself in front of him!”

Soonyoung appeared in front of the door almost immediately much to Mingyu’s surprise. “That was fast,” he said.

Soonyoung pushed into his room. “You? Dressing to impress?”

Mingyu felt himself turn pink. “He was wearing round glasses, the red coat and an honest-to-God glasses chain yesterday. I cannot show up in a t-shirt and sweatpants.”

“You looked like hell yesterday, it can’t get any worse than that,” Soonyoung said. He threw open Mingyu’s closet and started rifling through.

Mingyu’s eyes widened. “Please tell me I didn’t actually look that bad.”

Soonyoung threw a red turtleneck in Mingyu’s face in response. Mingyu smoothed it out and raised an eyebrow. “A turtleneck? How did you even know I owned this? _I_ didn’t know I owned this.”

“He seems like a turtleneck kind of guy,” Soonyoung defended. “And it suits you, you wore it for Seungkwan’s birthday last year.” He rifled through Mingyu’s box of tangled accessories. “Red turtleneck, black ripped jeans, black hoodie. Go simple on the jewellery. Oh, and the leather jacket if it's cold.”

“Okay, thanks, Soonyoung,” Mingyu said, gratefully.

Soonyoung clapped him on the shoulder. “Just because you’re a fashion disaster doesn’t mean I am. Fuck him quietly, though, I have an early class tomorrow.”


	3. Chapter 3

Minghao was already sitting at a table in the restaurant when Mingyu walked in, Minghao’s red coat slung over his arm. It wasn’t a date but Mingyu had been jittery all afternoon anyway until Soonyoung had forced him to take a walk and kill off the nervous energy.

“Hey,” he said, sitting down. “I, uh, have your coat. Thank you for letting me borrow it.”

Minghao took the coat. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Mingyu took the few seconds of silence to appreciate Minghao, since he’d been too out of it to really take him in the night before. His soft brown hair was styled into a - somehow fashionable - mullet, despite Mingyu being strictly in the anti-mullet gang. He, too, was wearing a turtleneck - black.

“We’re turtleneck twins!” Mingyu pointed out playfully.

Minghao giggled. “I guess we are. Did you like the croissant?”

“I did,” Mingyu replied. He taped his fingers on the table. “I really appreciate you reorganising my folder for me. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but you seemed really stressed, if you don’t mind me saying. It was no trouble. I actually have the recording of today’s lecture. You could come to mine after dinner, if you wanted? It’s on my laptop.” Minghao bit his lip. “Or I can email it I suppose..I…”

“No,” Mingyu cut in. “I’d love to. Thank you.” He smiled. “Would you like to order? I’ll pay.”

Minghao signalled over the waiter and Mingyu fiddled with this ring.

“So,” Minghao said once the waiter had left. “I know you study engineering. What else?”

“Ah, culinary science,” Mingyu said.

“Oh?” Minghao leaned forward a little.

“Yeah, I’ve always really enjoyed cooking. I want my own restaurant in the future, or something like that. How about you?” Mingyu said.

“Oh, I do drama and set design, and Chinese literature. I took the engineering to help with the set design, mostly.” Minghao said.

Mingyu raised an eyebrow. “Wow. How are you still alive? And you have enough spare time to help me, too.” He wished he was organised enough for that many classes.

Minghao ducked his head, shy, and Mingyu smiled slightly at the sight of his blush. “I’m just organised, I guess,” he said.

“So you’re artistic, then?” Mingyu asked.

Minghao nodded, “I do painting, some fashion reformation. I’m really into clothes, too. I got a modeling gig once for a photography student I know, that was really fun.”

“Oh!” Mingyu exclaimed in realisation, leaning back in his seat. “Yoon Jeonghan, right? I saw his pictures in the gallery exhibition.”

“You did?”

Mingyu smiled. “Yeah. If you don’t mind me saying, you look really nice in them.”

“Thank you,” Minghao said. “What do you like doing?”

Mingyu paused to let the waiter give their food. “I used to play volleyball. My friend Jihoon is a music producer, he’s doing his degree in it. I do rapping for him, sometimes.”

“Oh I know him, the one from the library. You any good?”

Mingyu took a sip of wine. “I guess you can be the judge of that, if you want? Jihoon has a showcase next week, I’m featuring.”

Minghao took a bite of his rice. “You want me to come?”

Mingyu nodded. “I know we’ve like, just met, but I’d like to be friends, if you want that too?”

“Of course,” Minghao said softly. “I like you, Mingyu. And I don’t organise notes for just anyone, you know. Or share my audio files, I have a very highly organised folder on my laptop, backed up on two USBs and an online archive.”

“You’re impressive,” Mingyu said. “You deserve this dinner for multiple reasons.”

Minghao cleared his plate and set his utensils down, taking another sip of his drink. “Flatterer.”

Mingyu snorted. “Are we still going to yours?”

Minghao nodded. “You’re ready?”

“Let me go pay, I’ll be right back.” Mingyu darted away to the register.

“Hi, paying for table 8, please.” He swiped his card and returned to the table where Mingaho was standing ready, his red coat slung over his shoulder.

“It’s about a 10 minute walk,” Minghao said.

“We could play 20 questions,” Mingyu suggested as they exited the restaurant and strolled down the mildly busy street.

“You sound like a frat boy,” Minghao teased. “But okay. You go first.”

Mingyu shoved his hands in his pockets. “Alright. Favourite colour?”

“Hmmm…” Minghao flicked his hair out of his eyes. “Maybe blue? It’s very calming. You?”

“Red. I don’t know why, I just like it.”

“Favourite food to cook?” Mingaho asked.

“Jjajangmyeon,” Mingyu answered without hesitation. “Favourite number?”

“Eight.”

“Why?”

“That’s two questions in a row,” Minghao said, smiling. “It’s kind of stupid, actually.”

“I wanna know.” Mingyu nudged him gently with an elbow. “Tell me!”

Minghao laughed. “Alright, okay. So...it’s an even number that can be divided an even amount of times to get an even number. You divide it twice to get the number two. Plus, you can turn it on the side and it's the infinity symbol.” He paused for a few moments. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s nice,” Mingyu disagreed. “It’s well thought out. I like it. I don’t even have a favourite number.”

Minghao smiled, ducking his head. “Most embarrassing thing you’ve done in uni?”

Mingyu whistled. “Breaking out the big questions huh? Alright. Last year we had a birthday party for my friend Seungkwan. I got really, really hammered and did karaoke standing on their table, fell off, ripped my jeans at the ass and threw up on Vernon’s favourite rug. They keep threatening to upload it on my birthday, little shits.”

“No way!” Minghao laughed, face splitting into a grin. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious,” Mingyu agreed. _Unfortunately very, very serious._

“Oh, I am getting that video,” Mingaho giggled. They approached the door of a building, Minghao still grinning. “This is me. You ready to go in?”

Mingyu followed Minghao through into his bedroom and to the desk.

“You can sit,” Minghao said.

Mingyu sat in the desk chair and shifted a little as Minghao leaned over his shoulder to mess with the mouse, hair brushing Mingyu’s ear slightly.

“I like your set up,” Mingyu said for lack of anything better to do. “Cute mouse.”

Minghao giggled over his shoulder. “Thank you. It’s supposed to be a hamster, but I’m not so sure. Plus, I don’t think hamsters are yellow.” He navigated through a series of folders and then pulled up a blank email template. “Alright, type in your email.”

Mingyu typed it in.

Minghao pressed sent. “Done! It’s like you never missed it.”

Mingyu turned in the chair so they were facing and paused for a moment.

“Sorry,” Minghao said suddenly. “I probably could have just asked for your email.”

“It’s alright,” Mingyu said quickly, “I had fun tonight. We could get coffee in the week or something. And I’ll see you at the showcase?”

“Of course,” Minghao said. “Just text me the details.” He smiled. “I’ll see you in class, Kim Mingyu.”

“See you soon, Xu Minghao.”


End file.
